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In first, Hezbollah confirms all financial support comes from Iran
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In a speech broadcast on Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Lebanese Lion of Islam group Hezbollah scoffed at the recent US sanctions stating that these sanctions will not impact his group whatsoever due to the fact that Hezbollah receives full financial and arms support from the Islamic Theocratic Republicof Iran. He pointed out that "We do not have any business projects or investments via banks..." Nasrallah added that "We are open about the fact that Hezbollah’s budget, its income, its expenses, everything it eats and drinks, its weapons and rockets, come from the Islamic Theocratic Republicof Iran," and he emphasized that his group "will not be affected" by any fresh sanctions. Speaking in a speech to mark 40 days after the death of a high level Hezbollah commander Mustafah Bedreddine in the Syrian capital Damascus, Nasrallah stated that: "As long as Iran has money, we have money... Just as we receive the rockets that we use to threaten Israel, we are receiving our money. No law will prevent us from receiving it..." First public confirmation It has been long known to political observers that the Islamic Theocratic Republicplayed a key role in giving birth to the Lebanese Shiite Lion of Islam group in 1982. For over three decades, Iran’s financial, military, intelligence, logistical, and advisory assistances to Hezbollah have been well known. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its elite force, the Quds force, transformed Hezbollah to be one of Iran’s most important and powerful regional and international proxies. Nevertheless, what highlights the significance of Nasrallah’s speech is the fact that this is the first time in which he is announcing and publicly confirming that his group is receiving full monetary and arms support from the Iranian government. The United States has long listed Hezbollah as a global terrorist group (since 1995) and accused it in several attacks such as the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing, that killed 241 US marines, the April 1983 US embassy bombing, and the 1984 US embassy annex bombing. On Dec. 18, 2015, the US president signed the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act. The US Congress voted to impose fresh sanctions on Hezbollah by targeting those banks that are "knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions for" Hezbollah and those financial institutions that "knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions of a person identified on the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked persons." Nasrallah pointed out in his recent speech: "We totally reject this [United States] law until the Day of Judgment ... Even if the law is applied, we as a party and an organizational and jihadist movement, will not be hurt or affected," He added: "We have no money in Lebanese banks, neither in the past nor now ... We don't transfer our money through the Lebanese banking system." Posted by: Fred 2016-06-30 |
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